‘Healthy Relationships’ campaign: Preventing and addressing family and gender-based violence
Publication: Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health
Volume 8, Number 1
LAY SUMMARY
LAY SUMMARY
Canadian military families face distinct challenges due to the military lifestyle, primarily due to relocation, absences and deployments, and risk of injury and death. Tied to these challenges is the intimate partner relationship and the ability of the family unit to thrive. To support families, Military Family Services (MFS) undertook a collaborative process to create a modernized campaign focused on healthy relationships for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, Veterans, and their families. The “Healthy Relationships” campaign is a unique social media campaign centred on positive behaviour change, inspiration, and sharing of real military families’ stories. The campaign sought to shift the narrative from previous anti-family-violence messaging to promoting positive, healthy, and equitable relationships. The campaign was successful in its rollout across bases and wings in Canada, Europe, and the United States.
Abstract
This article explores the approach utilized by Military Family Services (MFS), a division of Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services, to develop and implement a campaign focused on supporting and promoting healthy intimate relationships for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) families. MFS redesigned a family violence campaign with the intention of modelling positive and healthy relationships and related behaviours and demonstrating how military members and their families could adopt such behaviours. The “Healthy Relationships” campaign is a significant departure from previous initiatives that focused solely on family violence and more directly on physical violence. The campaign intended to widen the understanding of family violence, reduce the stigma associated with seeking support, and increase awareness of the range of relevant services and programs available. The campaign adopted a reflective approach that encouraged the CAF community and families to reflect on the health of their relationships and to learn from other couples who faced and overcame relationship challenges. The article discusses the campaign approach and collaborative and creative processes, including the engagement of military and Veteran families. Lessons learned and campaign metrics are also highlighted, while exploring the shift in narrative and messaging to the CAF on family violence. The article also provides insights for those working in the family and gender-based violence fields.
Résumé
Cet article explore l’approche des Services aux familles des militaires (SFM), une division des Services de soutien au personnel et aux familles des Forces canadiennes, en vue de préparer et de mettre en œuvre une campagne axée sur le soutien et la promotion de relations intimes saines au sein des familles des Forces armées canadiennes (FAC). Les SFM ont remanié une campagne sur la violence familiale dans l’intention de donner l’exemple de relations intimes et d’autres types de relations positives et saines et de démontrer comment les militaires et leur famille pouvaient adopter de tels comportements. La campagne sur les relations saines s’éloigne considérablement des initiatives antérieures axées seulement sur la violence familiale, et se rapproche plus directement de la violence physique. La campagne visait à mieux faire comprendre la violence familiale, à réduire la honte associée aux appels à l’aide et à faire connaître l’éventail des services et programmes offerts. La campagne était axée sur une approche réflexive qui incitait la communauté des FAC et les familles à se demander si leurs relations étaient saines et à tirer exemple d’autres couples qui avaient affronté et vaincu des problèmes relationnels. L’article traite de l’approche de la campagne et des processus coopératifs et créatifs, y compris la participation des familles des militaires et des vétéran(e)s. Les leçons acquises et les mesures utilisées sont également mises en lumière, de même que les changements aux récits et aux messages aux FAC sur la violence familiale. Enfin, l’article donne un aperçu de ceux qui travaillent dans les domaines de la violence familiale et de la violence axée sur le genre.
INTRODUCTION
Military Family Services (MFS), a division of Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services, is committed to supporting Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, Veterans, and their families to support strong, equitable, and healthy relationships. Part of this commitment includes preventing and addressing family violence and gender-based violence. This article provides an overview and analysis of the organization’s newly implemented “Healthy Relationships” campaign.
While little is known about the rates of domestic and family violence specifically within Canadian military families, it remains an important health issue to be addressed.1 One recent study review found a small percentage of CAF families (5%) experienced some form of family violence; marital dissatisfaction was also found to be a predictor of emotional and physical intimate partner violence.2 Similarly, additional research found that, while most CAF families are able to cope effectively with the stressors of military life, some may experience marital conflicts, contributing to family violence.3
The commitment of the CAF to respond to gender-based violence is reflected in “Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy,” as initiative 22 seeks to implement teams at bases and wings across Canada in partnership with Military Family Resource Centres, to prevent family violence, and support military families to have healthy relationships.4
Historically, the CAF ran an annual family violence prevention campaign, entitled Take a Stand Against Family Violence. This campaign was intended to encourage open and frank dialogue on the prevention of family violence, yet it centred on encouraging people to formally report incidents of family violence, whether through the chain of command or local authorities. Local teams across bases and wings in Canada, Europe, and the United States supported the implementation of the campaign. These teams, called Family Violence Advisory Teams, are comprised of CAF social workers, social workers from Military Family Resource Centres, military police, and chaplains. Feedback indicated that the campaign messaging and emphasis on reporting incidences was not resonating well with families and was focused too narrowly on one form of violence (physical). Studies have also demonstrated that campaigns, which place the onus on individuals to report family violence and feature stark or physically violent imagery, can be less effective and harmful to the targeted audience.5
In 2019, MFS took ownership of the family violence campaign with the clear aim of transforming it. The objectives of the new campaign, entitled Healthy Relationships, were to encourage positive behaviours between partners, support individuals affected by family violence, and widen the definition and understanding of family violence.
The literature underscores the importance of military and civilian communities using a common definition of violence1 and, thus, a broad literature scan of definitions for family violence was conducted for the campaign. The campaign explores family violence and gender-based violence and widens the understanding of gender-based violence to include the fact that men and non-binary individuals also experience violence,6 though global and Canadian research clearly demonstrate that women and non-binary individuals experience violence at rates higher than men.7
A core campaign aim was to encourage positive behaviour change within military and Veteran couples and families. While recent research demonstrates the majority of military couples are satisfied with their intimate partner relationships, a small percentage (8%) are concerned.2 Couples who were concerned with their relationships reported having issues with communicating and expressing feelings (26%), having arguments (23%), growing apart or in different directions (19%), and having little or no physical affection (18%). Physical or verbal abuse was cited as a relationship issue among only a small percentage of participants (3%).8 Relocations, absences (deployments, training, and imposed restrictions), and illness/injury all place additional stressors on intimate partner relationships.2
The “Healthy Relationships” campaign focused on intimate partner relationships as this type of relationship means that violence is generally more frequent and severe than other forms of interpersonal abuse, and results in greater physical and psychiatric morbidities.9 Furthermore, a 2016 survey of Military Family Resource Centres and their mental health providers identified the most common mental health issue as relationship difficulties, either for couples or families.10 Additional research demonstrates that marital satisfaction is a significant predictor of emotional and physical violence experienced by CAF members.11
The new campaign intentionally focused on the possibility of positive change and encouraged the adoption of new or modified healthy behaviours. This approach is in line with the literature that recommended campaigns targeting family violence, in particular perpetrators of family violence, need to place a stronger emphasis on the benefits of changing and need to have a greater focus on increasing perpetrators’ confidence that they can change and abstain from violence.12
From a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) lens, the new campaign sought to challenge gender norms, particularly that men are to be strong and silent and that women must be responsible for holding the family together when facing adversity or challenges. Through imagery, the campaign also depicted women in an empowering light and did not utilize triggering images of women as victims of violence.
METHODS
Central to campaign development was a wide sector scan that explored best practices related to behaviour-change campaigns, with a particular focus on health promotion and domestic violence campaigns. This scan demonstrated that mass media campaigns can produce positive changes in specific behaviours across large populations, particularly if they are supported by related services or programs.13 The scan also revealed that campaigns need to go beyond communicating what constitutes family violence in intimate relationships and where to seek help; they also need to explain how and why this type of violence can affect anyone. Furthermore, the scan showed that campaigns must illustrate how perpetrators often control their partners and manipulate those around them. Lessons from this scan highlighted the importance of creating digestible messages, providing options for individuals, and moving away from a sole focus on physical violence.
The “Healthy Relationships” campaign was designed to model positive and equitable relationships and related behaviours and to demonstrate how military members and their families could adopt such behaviours. The campaign also widened the definition and understanding of family violence to include emotional, financial, physical, psychological, and sexual forms of violence. Learning from the sector, the campaign adopted a reflective approach that encouraged the CAF community and families to reflect on the health of their relationships and to learn from other CAF families who faced and overcame challenges in their relationships. Another intention of the campaign was to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help or support.
Research has shown that, when military families experienced violence in their homes, they were most likely to turn to sources outside the CAF for help, including family, friends, and civilian counsellors.14 Therefore, a specific intention of the campaign was to raise awareness of the relevant military family and CAF support services available. This focus responded to evidence showing that public awareness campaigns work well when accompanied by resources and support services that assist the target audience to respond to the call to action.15 Furthermore, the scan showed family violence campaigns tend to increase the demand for support, as persons who experienced violence may now feel encouraged to reach out.16 To this end, during the development of the campaign, the frontline service of the Family Information Line (a 24/7 confidential service offering support and counselling) was engaged in order to prepare for a potential increase in requests for support.
A collaborative process was integral to the development of the “Healthy Relationships” campaign. This process was centred on a working group that engaged a community of practice comprised of military and civilian social workers, chaplains, counsellors, and health promotion specialists. Leading organizations in the gender-based violence sector were also engaged and provided expertise to develop specific tip sheets and resources for families, such as the YWCA and White Ribbon.
The “Healthy Relationships” campaign was launched in October 2019 through a Canadian Forces General Message (CANFORGEN) and was rolled out locally through bases and wings in Canada, Europe, and the United States. The family-facing CAF Connection website hosts the campaign17 and includes all campaign materials, such as tip sheets, family testimonials, and webinars. A dedicated internal website was established for service providers and Family Violence Advisory Teams to access campaign resources.
Intimate relationships continuum
Core to the campaign was the Intimate Relationships Continuum, which underscores how relationships exist on a continuum (ranging from healthy, to struggling, to unhealthy, with abusive at the extreme end of the continuum) and are not stationary; rather, they evolve and change depending on different situations or stressors. The continuum demonstrates a couple may naturally move back and forth between the healthy and struggling zones. However, if relationship issues are in the unhealthy zone, couples may need external support for themselves and their families. The continuum underscores how unhealthy relationships can quickly escalate into abusive situations.
The Intimate Relationships Continuum was designed after the Mental Health Continuum colour spectrum, a model familiar to CAF members and their families through Road to Mental Readiness training. The continuum also includes a self-assessment checklist that enables military members and their partners to explore their relationships, including such elements as communication, physical intimacy, and financial decision-making.
Campaign branding
For the campaign’s look and feel, a critical requirement was that the images would be empowering and would promote positive, healthy relationships, rather than depict examples of violence.17 This focus was in recognition that domestic violence campaigns often activated, or reinforced, gendered imagery and stereotypes, which can be harmful.4 Campaign materials also depicted various types of intimate relationships and represented diverse sexual orientations.
Ensuring campaign branding resonated with military families was essential, and a campaign voice was adopted that was understanding and supportive. The campaign was digital and delivered primarily through social media, facilitating information sharing across locations and empowering the community to also share resources through their own channels. Central to the campaign were the voices of real military and Veteran families, which ensured valuable and authentic content. The featured families discussed common military lifestyle challenges2 and demonstrated how, by seeking different supports, couples and families can face challenges and become stronger together.
RESULTS
As noted, a GBA+ lens was applied throughout the campaign and ongoing reflection has enabled insight into future directions. The campaign sought to challenge gender norms and demonstrate how women, men, and non-binary individuals can all experience and perpetrate family violence. The campaign was also accompanied by capacity-building sessions for services providers on intimate partner violence within LGBTQIA2S+ couples. The campaign sought to reflect the diversity of the CAF and military community through imagery depicting individuals and couples of different ethnicities, ages, and sexual orientations, as well as couples with and without children. For 2021, a targeted call was launched for LGBTQIA2S+ couples and families to participate in the campaign and share their relationships stories.
Monitoring and measuring the outcomes of campaign activities was essential to evaluating the effectiveness of the “Healthy Relationships” campaign in achieving the goals initially outlined.
In 2020, a campaign evaluation was conducted with two audiences. First, the evaluation was conducted with the CAF community, including military members, their partners/spouses and families (a total of 11 responses), and second, with CAF locations across Canada and outside Canada through the local Family Violence Advisory Teams (31 locations responded). A dedicated survey was designed and implemented for each audience. Survey responses demonstrated the campaign increased awareness of relevant CAF and Military Family Resource Centre services, and 50% of respondents noted they would reach out to a CAF or Military Family Resource Centre service.
Robust social media metrics were captured from the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, including link clicks, click-through rates, page views, reach, and engagement. Clear social media goals were set for 2020, based on the 2019 reach and engagement metrics. Campaign goals were exceeded in 2020, with strong engagement rates demonstrating an engaged and interested audience and significant traction. Campaign results were also shared with content partners. Due to the uptake and widespread engagement with the Healthy Relationships campaign, it was expanded from an annual campaign to include relevant touchpoints throughout the calendar year.
DISCUSSION
The “Healthy Relationships” campaign demonstrated a substantive shift in the narrative and messaging to the CAF, and wider CAF community, about family violence and gender-based violence. It also aligned with wider Government of Canada priorities on GBA+ and gender-based violence. The campaign will continue to evolve as new research on family violence within the CAF community emerges. Moving forward, the campaign will incorporate a focus on specific military challenges, as described earlier, and will also include niche materials for a wider audience to include extended family and friends of military members and their families.
This article contributes to the literature by exploring the development of a modernized campaign aimed at preventing family violence by actively promoting healthy relationships. Lessons learned from the campaign implementation can be used to strengthen the development and rollout of related programs and services and contribute to the enhanced well-being of military members and their families.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Lynda Manser for her contribution to the article. They would also like to thank Natalie Binda for her contributions to the Healthy Relationships campaign.
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Jones S. Not just a slick TV ad: what makes a good domestic violence awareness campaign?; 2015. Available from: https://theconversation.com/not-just-a-slick-tv-ad-what-makes-a-good-domestic-violence-awareness-campaign-45041
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Published In
Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health
Volume 8 • Number 1 • February 2022
Pages: 125 - 130
Copyright
For permission to share, copy, or redistribute, contact [email protected].
History
Received: 16 February 2021
Revision received: 21 July 2021
Accepted: 12 August 2021
Published online: 19 November 2021
Published in print: February 2022
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Authors
Contributors
Conceptualization: C Robb-Jackson and S Campbell
Methodology: C Robb-Jackson and S Campbell
Writing – Original Draft: C Robb-Jackson and S Campbell
Writing – Review & Editing: C Robb-Jackson and S Campbell
Project Administration: C Robb-Jackson and S Campbell
Competing Interests
The authors have nothing to disclose.
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No funding was received for this article.
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Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health 2022 8:1, 125-130
Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health 2022 8:1, 125-130